The Last Rays of Light
by timeywimeyspaceywacey
Summary: A series of short, interconnected one-shots that provide the missing pieces of Indis Mero's journey as she struggles to make her way with the Dawnguard and Thieves Guild of Skyrim, all expanding on her pre-Dovahkiin life. A companion piece to In the Sun.
1. An Impatient Man

_A/N: Ah, so some of you may be wondering what's up. There's a little epilogue that's going to be tacked onto my story In the Sun, but I'll put it all here as well._

_I've been skimming through my first story in Indis' tale again, and in addition to all of the errors, typos, and minor scene changes I want to make just to tidy things up, I realized that there was quite a bit that was missing. When I first started writing it, there were a lot of things that I left out because of several reasons: I was lazy and didn't feel like putting them in there, I hadn't yet grasped the importance of planning and plotting out a story, I was in the bad habit of rushing things just for the sake of getting a chapter out, and I just didn't think that they were interesting, so a lot of ideas got tossed into the scraps pile that way. For the most part, I'm generally pleased with In the Sun. It didn't turn out too badly, but it's so, SO far from perfect. It's difficult to admit as an author that you did a lot of things wrong, that your story could have been better if you had done X, Y, and Z, but it's never too late for improvement._

_ After a lot of thought, I decided that I wanted to include these forgotten, missing things, because there is something about them that's important and I left it out for whatever reason like a big dum-dum. With that said, trying to squeeze all of this into Sun's existing chapters would have been crazy confusing for you guys and a lot more work for me._

_So, that's what this is. This is all of the stuff from In the Sun that really should have been in there, but it wasn't. Consider it a collection of one-shots that elaborates on things that I left out, or skimmed over, brief chapters that will expand on Indis, Teldryn, Ralof, Serana, Brynjolf, and her time with the Thieves Guild and the Dawnguard. If there's anything that you'd want to see, anything you'd want me to expand on from the story, let me know. They're all just one-shots, so it'd be pretty easy to work that in there. If you're reading Ascension, don't worry. I'm not going to drop that or anything (although I'm currently struggling with the chapter I'm writing), and I'm working on getting An Uncommon Reaction going again. This will just be short, but useful and necessary exercises to expand on her story and her relationships, and just really flesh it all out._

_This first chapter is her meeting with Jarl Balgruuf. When I was reading through it again, oh boy. I was really, really embarrassed to find that I just totally completely glossed over her meeting with someone who would later be very important to her with what basically amounted to, "and then Indis met Jarl Balgruuf. Things happened". Here it is, their first meeting._

* * *

Jarl Balgruuf was not a patient man.

Whiterun was a damned important hold, and he had an endless list of important things to do, so when a small, shaking Imperial woman was shoved forward by Irileth, he couldn't help but let out the tiniest of groans. To him, she was yet _another_ interruption, and she was one that he didn't have the time, or the patience, to deal with. _A town has just been burned to the ground by a dragon! What could warrant this kind of interruption?_

She was wearing the garb of a Stormcloak soldier, her shredded blue and grey cuirass dusted with blood and grime, her fur boots caked in mud that had left brown foot-shaped splotches in their wake. Ulfric Stormcloak briefly flickered across his mind, and as he wondered if she was just another messenger bearing a message from the rebellion's leader, his thin lips couldn't help but purse themselves into a tight little line. He looked her up and down again, taking in her large doe eyes, watching as she trembled and quaked like a terrified dog about to piss itself.

"You, come here," he barked, beckoning her forth with a pair of slim, bony fingers, his patience already wearing dangerously thin. "What are you doing here? This had better be damned important."

She remained quiet, still staring at the floor, mind racing as she tried to figure out what to say. Indis had met and mingled with plenty of nobility and aristocrats growing up in Cyrodiil, but she had never been in a situation like _this_. Sensing her discomfort, the Jarl snorted. "By the Divines, girl. Step forward. I'm not going to eat you."

Indis' head jerked up and she gave a faint, nervous laugh, her eyes widening as she hesitated ever so slightly before shuffling towards him, her small, freckled hands clutching at her cuirass' worn hem, trying not to think about how very insignificant, idiotic, and unimportant she must seem. He didn't know who she was, or where she had come from, and she could tell from the blasé expression on his face that he clearly didn't care. "Gerdur of Riverwood sent me," she began, willing her voice to be strong. It didn't work, and her soft words cracked. "She sent me because she believes Riverwood is in danger after what happened at Helgen."

At the mention of Helgen and the potential threat to Riverwood, the Jarl perked up, his bright blue eyes narrowing. "You know about Helgen?" he asked, his voice low and curious.

She nodded frantically, her head bobbing up and down enthusiastically. His interest and intrigue in Helgen encouraged her. Perhaps she wasn't such an unimportant idiot after all. "I was there, Jarl Bal…Jarl Bal…," she trailed off, wishing she had paid a bit more attention when Gerdur had told her the name of the man who governed Whiterun hold.

"Balgruuf," he finally interjected with a sigh, waving his hand, indicating that she should continue. She still seemed uncomfortable, and he could hear her nervous wheezing even though she was several feet away. "That's my name. Now, you said that Gerdur sent you? Why? And you were at Helgen? That's most intriguing. It'd be interesting to hear from someone that was actually there, instead of these secondhand reports. I want to know if the tales are true."

"She believes that Riverwood might be in danger, since it's so close to Helgen," Indis elaborated, the sense that the Jarl might actually be interested in what she had to say calming her frazzled nerves. "I was at Helgen, yes."

"So, it was attacked by a dragon?"

"Yes, Jarl Balgruuf," she replied meekly, trying to push the all too fresh images of Helgen out of her mind, wondering if she really, truly had escaped what had happened there. The images of scorched, charred bodies littering the ground, cries and screeches of agony, and the sight of melted steel and twisted stone flooded her mind. Bile rose in her throat and her stomach had twisted itself into a nervous knot when the Jarl spoke again, interrupting her stupor.

He had been stroking at his beard thoughtfully, twisting the grey and blonde strands around. "Very interesting. What exactly happened?"

"There was a dragon, and it attacked right as they were about to execute Ulfric Stormcloak. I ran, after that. I made my way through the Keep. I'm not entirely sure how many people survived," she added.

"Ulfric, hmm?" Balgruuf paused. None of the reports he had received had made any mention of Ulfric being there. "Feh, I should have known that he would have been mixed up in this somehow. Do you think that dragon had something to do with him? Do you think he…do you think it was brought forth by him? He does use the _Thu'um_," Balgruuf mused out loud.

She stared at him silently for a few seconds, giving him a look that could very easily be read as, _how the fuck should I know?_, before she gave a tiny shrug. "I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. It didn't seem like it was his dragon or anything, though," she replied, put off by the absurd notion that someone could control or summon a dragon. Maybe her father hadn't been lying when he had told her that all people in power were complete morons, at least in one way or another.

"Of course. Why were you at Helgen?"

"I…," she faltered, hands fleeing to her sides, beginning to twist nervously at her cuirass once more. Any calm that had come over her quickly disappeared as she considered the possibility that he could very well pick up where the Imperials had left off. "I was just passing through, Jarl Balgruuf. I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," she continued, hoping he didn't press the matter. It was true; a little bit of it, at least. It _was_ simply a matter of being in the worst place at the worst time that had put her on a cart to Helgen to begin with.

She watch as his eyes raked over her once more, pausing to give ample time to inspect what she was wearing, realizing that he likely thought she was a Stormcloak ready to be executed alongside their leader. Indis opened her mouth to continue, to clear up any confusion, but snapped it shut when he gave an indifferent shrug and stood.

"It makes no difference to me who the Imperials want to execute, and I won't get myself involved in their proceedings. That's their business, not mine. Now, you've done a great favor not just for me, but for the people of Whiterun as well," he said, eyes crinkling at the corners as he gave her what seemed to be a genuinely kind and appreciative smile. "You have my gratitude. Irileth," he said as he snapped his fingers, suddenly turning to the Dunmer woman that had first accosted Indis when she had entered Dragonsreach. "I need you to ready some guards to leave for Riverwood immediately." After the woman had left, he turned to Indis once more. "Once again, you have my thanks. Riverwood should be safe now."

Indis gave him a wan smile. There had been dozens of Imperial soldiers at Helgen, all fighting, struggling to down the massive beast, but the town had still been completely razed and burned to the ground. She wouldn't sleep any more comfortably at night, knowing what had happened at Helgen, knowing how close Riverwood was, but perhaps with a useless little company of guards, others would. "Thank you, Jarl Balgruuf. Everyone in Riverwood will truly appreciate this."

"Now, there is the matter of your payment. I believe you deserve something in return for coming here and delivering the message. What would you like? A new blade? There are plenty to choose from in my armory."

She gnawed at her lip thoughtfully, mind flicking back to Ralof gently removing the war axe from her tight grip, shaking her head. "No thank you, Jarl Balgruuf."

"I insist. There must be something."

"Spell tomes?" she said finally, settling on the first suggestion that came to her. She didn't know much magic, and it surely couldn't hurt to learn more. At her request, he smiled and took off, motioning for her to follow him into a small room just off to the side of the great hall they were in. She obliged, stopping in front of a large table, cluttered with books, several long, thin rolled up pieces of parchment and a smattering of soul gems.

The Jarl cleared his throat, and the robed wizard that had been hunched over his enchanting table stood, tossing them a look of obvious annoyance once he had turned away from the task he had been consumed with.

"Farengar, this young woman has helped me out a great deal, and I'd like you to give her some spell tomes as thanks for her efforts. This is…," Jarl Balgruuf trailed off, looking at her with a sheepish glance as he realized that he hadn't even bothered to ask her name.

"Indis. My name is Indis."

"Indis, this is my court wizard, Farengar. As I said, I'd like her to have some spell tomes as a reward for everything she's done for Whiterun," he continued, pausing to place a hand on her shoulder as he made to leave. "As I've said before, Whiterun is in your debt."

The Jarl left to wander upstairs to his chambers, leaving Indis with a surly Nord mage, who was currently inspecting her with quiet contemplation, the tapping of his bouncing foot and the occasional sigh breaking the uncomfortable silence that stretched between them. He eventually turned away from her towards the bookshelf that was nestled in between his enchanting table and alchemy laboratory, a slim finger reaching out to run along the spines of the books. The wizard Farengar placed several books in the crook of one arm, rejoining Indis after a few minutes of perusing his collection.

"An illusion spell to calm your enemies," he began, thick Nordic accent brusque and annoyed as he tossed the first spell down on the table and shoved it towards her, before repeating the process with those that remained. "A very simple conjuration spell used to reanimate weaker dead bodies, and another conjuration spell to summon a familiar to aid you in battle. These will all be useful for someone as tiny and weak looking as you are. Now, leave. I have work to do."

Indis scooped up the books with a frown, muttering her thanks as she hugged them to her chest, wasting no time in exiting the room. She glanced back towards where Jarl Balgruuf had been sitting, sighing when she saw the empty throne. He had been cold, fierce and plenty intimidating at first, but she had found herself quickly warming up to him, and she wished she had gotten another chance to thank him yet again. After staring at the vacant throne for a few seconds, she shook her head, making her way towards the massive set of doors that she had entered through, nodding at the guard that pulled one of them open for her. She stepped through, giving one last sidelong at the skeleton bobbing up and down in the crystalline waters of the moat, pleased that it hadn't been an indicator of what she would found inside.


	2. Stew

_A/N: Another bit that I pretty much glossed over: the things happened in Riverwood during those months that Indis lived there right after Helgen went down. Now, it really wasn't the most exciting time of her life, but things did obviously happen. Here's a teensy little glimpse into what more or less happened on a daily basis during that period of time._

* * *

Indis shifted her footing as she raised her bow, hesitating as she looked down at her left foot. It didn't feel quite right, and as she continued to wriggle it, constantly adjusting its position over the next few seconds, she heard an exasperated sigh come from behind her.

"Are you going to shoot the damn thing, or not?" called out a deep, thickly accented voice.

She whipped her head around, fixing Ralof with a ferocious glare, wrinkling her nose at him. "Yes, I'm going to," she responded, turning her attention back to the mudcrab that was currently scuttling into the hole it had just dug on the banks of the White River, pulling the bowstring back as she took aim at the small creature. "I'm trying to get my form correct. Now, if you don't mind."

The man lounging against a moss-covered boulder shrugged, stretching his legs out. "Any minute now. Or, any day. Or month. The sooner you kill it, the better," he said, casting a sideways glance at the deer carcass resting in the shade of a pine. "You need to get this thing back to the inn to get it cleaned up."

"I know, I know," she muttered, quiet words lost as the arrow was released. It missed its target, bouncing off the stones behind the mudcrab with a clatter before it was washed away in the rapid current. The mudcrab immediately ceased the its work in the murky silt and turned, as menacing as it could possibly be as it rushed towards them, claws raised, snapping open and closed.

Indis jumped backwards, letting out a tiny shriek as she scrambled for another arrow, frantically working to ready it. The small animal continued to advance, and after she let out another little yelp, she tossed her bow aside and darted towards the boulder Ralof was leaning against, wasting no time in climbing the short distance up and perching herself on top.

She heard her companion let out a snicker as he drew his own bow, taking aim at the creature that seemed incredibly, absurdly determined to do them harm. He released his arrow, and after a tiny _squelch_ penetrated the air the mudcrab flew back a few feet, finally stilled. Ralof walked towards it and Indis followed suit, hopping down from the rock as she watched him pluck the arrow from the dead creature.

"Here," he said, offering the arrow he had retrieved to her. "Keep this as a souvenir, to remember this great, momentous occasion when I slayed the great beast lying before us to save your life."

She rolled her eyes and snorted, knocking the iron arrow out of his hand before bending down to pick up the mudcrab. "Oh, you ass," was the most clever response she could think of, and she wished she had a wittier retort for him. "I'm taking this. I think Delphine will be happy. We should be able to add it to a stew, or at least sell it. Now, come on. We should get back to Riverwood."

* * *

"Where on Nirn have you been? I thought you would be back hours ago."

Indis looked up, shoulders slouching when she saw Delphine standing in front of the fire pit that the Sleeping Giant Inn housed. The Breton innkeeper's lips were pursed into a thin, tight line and her foot tapped erratically as she planted her hands on her hips. She was obviously displeased, but that wasn't surprising in the least. She was usually in a sour mood, and this evening, it just seemed to be a little worse.

"Hunting, remember?" Indis replied, holding out the mudcrab in her arms. "I brought this back. A doe, as well."

"Good," Delphine replied, her frown subsiding ever so slightly. "You're going to be making the stew for our guests tonight. You can do everything else that you were supposed to do tomorrow, I suppose. Orgnar has vanished, gods only know where, and I need to get that deer skinned. You're in charge of dinner."

The blonde snatched up the mudcrab in Indis' hands and set towards the door, looking back one last time. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get to work."

* * *

The inn's kitchen was incredibly tight and cramped, and the fire roaring underneath the cooking kettle made the small space sweltering and difficult to breathe in. Indis reached up, wiping away the beads of sweat that rolled down her brow with her sleeve, gnawing at her lip as she anxiously stared at plethora of ingredients available to her. She reached towards a small jar tucked away on a shelf above her, hesitating as she read the label. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing.

It had only been a month since she had made Riverwood her home, temporarily, at least, and while she had accumulated all kinds of new skills and knowledge, cooking a stew was certainly _not_ on the list. It was something that Orgnar always did, and she had minded the bar while he was busy at work cooking.

Scratching her head, she snatched up a nearby book lying on a cluttered counter, hoping it was a cookbook of some kind. After flipping through some of the worn, yellowed pages, she quickly realized that it wasn't, and tossed it aside in frustration, turning back to the cooking kettle filled with boiling water. She stared at it in quiet contemplation, watching as bubbles roiled to the surface, bursting once they arrived, sending a cloud of steam wafting upwards towards the ceiling. _It can't be that hard to make a stew,_ she silently mused, snatching up a carrot off a nearby table. _I'm sure I can figure this out just fine. _

After glancing at the vegetable and deciding that it was clean enough, she grabbed a clean knife that was resting on the counter and began to slice the carrot, tossing the large, uneven chunks into the boiling water. She hesitated once she reached the end, considering the leafy green bits that shot out of the top. Indis gave them a suspicious sniff and after finding out that they had a mild, pleasant earthy smell, she decided that they were suitable to join the rest of the carrot and tossed them in. She grabbed a nearby potato, not even bothering to inspect it to make sure it was free of dirt, not even taking the time to peel it, and set to work chopping it up into large chunks. A few tomatoes, a head of cabbage, and then an apple, were her next victims; her knife slashed away and violently mashed them to bits, and once she was done, their pulverized remains were cast aside into the blistering hot water.

"Now, for some herbs and spices…," she mumbled to herself, reaching up to the glass jars perched on the shelves above her head. She stood on her tiptoes, grabbing a few random jars before quickly depositing them on the counter. "Frost mirriam," she began, pulling the lid off, shaking the dried leaves into the water. "Elves ear… oops," she giggled, watching as the entire contents of the jar made their way into the stew. She grabbed the last jar, reading the words on the faded label. It was lavender. She shrugged, dumping it in to join the rest of the ingredients.

"It needs some meaty bits," she continued, grabbing a slab of dried venison that was hanging on a meat hook overhead. She sliced it up the same as she had the other ingredients, tossing the tiny pieces in to join them. Wiping her dirty hands on her apron, she stared into the stew, feeling the faintest swell of pride as she gazed down at her accomplishment. She watched it boil for several more minutes, churning its contents up towards the surface, occasionally prodding at it with a long wooden spoon. After a few more minutes had passed, she called out. "Delphine! I'm done."

As the footsteps that approached grew nearer, she realized she had forgotten one ingredient. "Salt," she said, grabbing the little jar off a tiny table, dumping a copious amount in before stirring it once more. _There, it's done._

Delphine stuck her head into the small kitchen, giving a nod of satisfaction once she had glanced at the full cooking kettle. "Good, it's about time. Put some into bowls and start bringing them out."

Indis obliged, ladling what she hoped was a delicious, hearty stew into several bowls. She scooped them up, all of them balancing precariously in her arms as she slowly shuffled out into the main room of the inn, depositing a bowl in front of each waiting guest, hesitating when she arrived in front of Ralof. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard from Delphine that you were in charge of dinner. I thought I'd eat here tonight," Ralof replied, giving her a smile as she placed the final bowl in front of him. He picked his spoon off the table, wasting no time in shoveling a hearty into his mouth. His smile quickly faded as he chewed slowly, finally swallowing after what seemed like an age.

"Well, how is it?" Indis asked, propping her elbows up on the table as she leaned forward expectantly. "How did I do? This was my first time making a stew. I'll admit; I really didn't know what I was doing."

Before Ralof could respond, he was interrupted by an angry Delphine, who had marched over to their position, fury in her eyes. "What is this?" she asked, waving one hand at the bowl in front of Ralof. "What the fuck did you put in there? I've been getting complaints, and I went to taste some for myself and for the love of the Divines, what on Nirn did you put in there?"

"Just some things I found in the kitchen."

"Oh? What are these things?"

"Carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, apple, um, some frost mirriam, elves ear, lavender, and dried vension," she replied, ticking off a finger for every ingredient she listed.

"What? Did you bother to wash the ingredients? Dirt, Indis. It tastes like there's dirt in there, and it's too damn salty. Not to mention, plenty of it is undercooked. And… and lavender? What on earth did you do? How could you muck up something as simple as a stew?"

Indis frowned, briefly recalling a piece of advice Orgnar had given her when she had first started working there. _Never admit you're right_, he had muttered to her late one evening after swilling back more bottles of mead than usual. _She's insufferable if you do, and she'll never let you forget all of those times you fucked up. Admit you're wrong, and you'll get a constant reminder._

"I was just making a stew, that's all," she said, folding her arms over her chest. "Perhaps you cannot appreciate my culinary talents, Delphine."

Delphine remained silent for several seconds, eyes narrowing as she stared Indis down. "Can't you do anything correctly?" she groaned, wringing her hands. "Just… just go clean up the kitchen. _Now_," she hissed, letting out a tiny mumble that sounded like, 'Gods damned Imperial' darting off once a guest of the inn flagged her down.

Indis turned back, meeting Ralof's inquisitive eyes with her own. "What?"

"She looked furious, and it really didn't seem to bother you."

"She was, but that's nothing new. She usually gets angry with me at least once a day."

"What? Why?"

"You want to know why? Apparently, I'm _very_ good at fucking things up."


End file.
